Facer board structure for venetian blinds and the like



A ril 18,1939.

w. E. SHEH'AN FACER BOARD STRUCTURE FOR YENETIAN BLINDS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 4.

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FACER BOARD STRUCTURE FOR VENETIAN BLINDS AND THE LIKE Filed pct; 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTOVR WILLIAM E. sHEmN ATT 0RNE Y Patented Apr. 18, 1939 PATENT OFFICE FACER BOARD STRUCTURE FOR VENETIAN BLINDS AND THE LIKE William E. Shehan, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 26, 1937, Serial No. 171,028

8- Claims.

This invention relates to window and blind structures, and particularly pertains to a facer board structure for Venetian blinds and the like.

In the installation of various types of window shades and blinds it is common practice to provide a supporting structure for the upper end of the blind, and which structure is mounted near the top of the window frame. Such devices are somewhat unsightly and various means have been used to cover these supporting elements of the shade or blind. A common means particularly useful in covering the top bar of a Venetian blind is to mount a facer board in front of the top rail and blind supports and to provide this rail with corner members which would conceal the ends of the top rail. Such structures for the most part have been fragile in construction since the structural elements are usually thin wooden members which are cut to fit and are fastened together by small brads or the like. It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a facer board structure which includes fastening fittings for the various board sections, and by which the fastening elements may be instantly gripped and held in assembled positions without the use of nails, screws or the like and which assembled structure may be readily applied to the top rail by detachable means whereby the facer board assembly may be easily placed in position removed, or its parts disassembled or dismantled. All of such construction eliminating the use of fastening members other than the fittings which are in interlocking engagement with the various parts of the structure.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a facer board of a desired length adapted to receive corner brackets detachably, and to which brackets and facer boards may be secured detachably and held with relation to thefront 9 facer board to maintain a tight mitre joint between the boards, the structure being further provided with other fastening means which may be detachably secured to the board and which will detachably engage the top rail to hold the entire structure with relation to the top rail to conceal the same.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in plan showing the facer board with the top rail mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is a back view of a facer board assembly showing its various interlocking structural elements and means for applying it to the top rail.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing one of the facer board angle members.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective showing one of the top rail engaging brackets as carried by the facer board.

Fig. 5 is a view in front elevation showing the assembled facer board. 5

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in transverse section through the facer board and top rail assembly as seen on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view in transverse section through the facer board assembly as seen on the 10 line 1-'l of Fi 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

[0 indicates a top rail which may be secured within a window frame by any suitable means, such as by screws or other fastenings. This rail 16 carries fittings, such as generally indicated at l I in the drawings, to support a tilt rail l2. Pulleys I3 are carried by the top rail and receive cables M which are led over pulley l5 and may be manipulated to raise and lower a Venetian blind 20 which is not here shown. The top rail extends horizontally and is shown in Fig. 6 as being embraced by fingers l6 and I1 carried by a mounting bracket l8. This bracket is more particularly disclosed in Fig. 4 of the drawings where it 25 will be seen that the fingers IB and I1 have been struck out from a metal blank IS. The upper and lower edges of the blank are formed with curled lips 2b and 2|. These lips may be formed permanently when the bracket is manufactured, or 30 if desired the lips may remain uncurled to be suitably bent by means which may be provided for curling the lips over beads 22 formed on the marginal edges of a facer board 23.

The facer board is intended to stand edgewise vertically and to conceal the top rail I0 and the tilt rail i2 together with the connecting brackets. The top rail and the tilt rail are preferably made slightly shorter than the window frame 24 across which they are supported. This makes it possible for end facer boards 25 to project inwardly between the ends of the rails and the vertical frame elements 24 of the window frame and into the space generally indicated at 26 in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The main facer board 23 and the end facer boards 25 have contiguous mitred edges 21 which abut against each other. The boards are held in a properly jointed relationto each other by an angle fitting 28. This fitting is formed by two angle legs 29 and 30 which preferably are pressed from a piece of sheet metal, and have marginal flanges 3| and 32 or lips at their upper and lower edges. These flanges are curved to fit over the bead portions 22 of the facer boards 23 and 25 in the manner Pr viously described for the lips the mounting bracket II.

The application of one of the angle fittings is particularly shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Here it will be seen that the flanged lips 3i and 32 curl over the beads 22 of the facet bars and terminate within grooves 23. These grooves extend longitudinally of the edges of the facer bars and make it possible for the facer bars to slide endwise into position between the flanged lips 3i and 32 so that the structure may be assembled completely without the use of any fastenings such as screws or nails while depending entirely upon the frictional and mechanical engagement of the angle fittings 28 with the edges of the facer bars to hold them n an assembled position as indicated in Fig. of the drawings. In most instances the bOaIQ-i constituting the facer bars are relatively thin and fastening meansused to secure them together at their mitre corners do not insure that the as- II and II of sembled structure will be strong and serviceable,

but on the other hand are liable to cause the boards to split or become unfastened. With the construction here disclosed the facer bars are engaged edgewise by the angle fittings so that the bars will be gripped through their most rigid section thus insuring that the bars will be held together firmly, and making it possible for the bar sections to be assembled or replaced without the use of fastening members orany special type of tool, and without damaging the parts of the structure.

In operation of the present invention the mounting brackets I! andthe angle fittings 28 are formed as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, and may thereafter be applied to the facer bars as required. As previously explained it is to be understood that flanged lips on the mounting bracket or the angle fittings might be formed so that one of them would remain uncurled as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6 of the drawings. After the structure is applied the uncurled flange 20 or 2| or a flange 3| or 32 of the angle fitting may be suitably bent or curled to fit into the groove 33 in the edge of a facer bar and over the bead 22 in a gripping position. This will make it possible for the bracket or fittings to be rigidly clamped to the facer bars without longitudinal sliding movement.

It may also be desirable to form a bracket or fitting with their edge. gripping flanges or lips curled completely to their final form so that the elements may slide longitudinally of the facer bars to the desired seated position. It is to be understood thatin this event the edge flanges will conform to and press against the edges of the facer bars with suflicient pressure to insure that the brackets and fittings will be held upon the bars in a positive gripping action, and will thus maintain the structure in a rigid assembled.

condition.

when the elements have been interlocked the facer bar assembly may then be applied to the top rail of a-Venetian blind by sliding the fingers IO and I1 of the mounting over the horizontal faces of the top rail which is disposed between them. It is to be understood that the fingers will engage the surfaces of the top rail with sumcient pressure to maintain the facer board assembly in position. However, if desired fastening elements may be placed through openings 34 in the members l8 and I! to engage the top rail and positively hold the brackets in position.

It will thus be seen that the device here disclosed is quite simple in construction and makes it possible for facer boards of suitable design and relative light weight to. be quickly. assembled and applied to the top rail of a Venetian blind or the like, the structure being so assembled as to insure that the abutting joints between the facer board parts will not separate accidentally or that the facer boards themselves will notvbe split by the fastening means provided. It is further evident that the structure may be quickly made on the Job" from lengths of facer board which are sawed to fit the window frames, thus insuring that it is not necessary to construct the facer board assembles at a factory and then attempt to build them to the point of application without breakage. It will further be noted that' the brackets andflttings engage the facer boards in a manner to insure that they will be completely concealed by the boards, thus producing a neat appearance for the facer boards.

Whfle I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes may be made in combination, construction, and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A facer board structure or the like comprising a front facer board, end facer boards having a mitred Joint with the ends of the front facer board, and a rigid angle fitting disposed adjacent to said joint and engaging and holding the two facer board sections with their mitred faces in fixed abutting relation to each, other, said angle fittings having portions lying against the rear surfaces of said boards and having flanges engaging the opposite edges of the facer boards and between which flanges the facer boards are frictionally gripped.

2. A facer board structure or the like comprising afront facer board, end facer boards having a mitred joint with the ends of the front facer board, and a rigid angle fitting disposed adjacent to said Joint and engaging and holding the two facer board sections with their mitred faces in fixed abutting relation to each other, said angle fittings having portions lying against the rear surfaces of said front and end facer boards and having flanges engaging the opposite edges of the facer boards and between which flanges the facer boards are frictionally gripped, the facer boards being formed with a longitudinally extending groove along the edges thereof and the flanges of the fitting being inturned into said grooves.

3. YA facer board structure or the like comprising a front facer board, adapted for association with the top rail of a Venetian blind, end

facer boards having a mitred joint with the ends of the front facer board, and a rigid angle fitting disposed adjacent to said joint and engaging and holding the two facer board sections with their mitred faces in fixed abutting relation to each other, said angle fittings having portions lying against a face of a facer board and having flanges engaging the opposite edges of the facer 4. In a facer board construction a mounting bracket, adapted to be associated with a top rail of a Venetian blind, said structure including a. facer board disposed in a concealing position in advance of the top rail and meansv carried thereby for yieldably engaging the top rail to hold the board in position with relation thereto, said means comprisinga pair of spring fingers between which the top 'rail is yieldably gripped.

5. In a facer board construction a mounting bracket adapted to be associated with a top rail of a Venetian blind, said structure including a facer board disposed in a concealing position in advance of the top rail and means carried thereby for frictionally engaging the top rail to hold the board in position with relation thereto, said means comprising a pair of spring fingers between which the top rail is frictionally gripped, and a blade carrying the spring fingers and formed with .fianges engaging the opposite edges of the racer gaging the opposite edges of the facer boardto grip the same and carrying a pair of fingers spaced from each other to receive the top rail, and facer board sections disposed at an angle to the front facer board and angle fittings disposed in the rear of each of said sections, said angle'fitti'ngs including a pair of blades one lying against the back face of contiguous i'acer board sections, each of said blades being formed with flanges adapted to engage the opposite edges of the facer boards and to grip the boards therebetween while holding the contiguous facer boards in assembled relation to each other.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a mounting bracket for facer boards which comprises: an integral piece of metal having upper and lower marginal flange lips whereby said bracket may be adapted for frictional attachment to a facer WILLIAM E. SHEHAN. 

